2. HIGH VS. LOW SELF CONFIDENCE
Human psychology is a complex and fascinating subject that helps us to understand why we think, feel, and act the way we do. Self-confidence is one of the most important psychological foundations for a successful life. Self-beliefs are usually formed in childhood and can be deeply rooted into our psyche. Our level of Self-confidence is heavily influenced by the messages we receive from our parents and caregivers, as well as other significant people in our lives.
Our childhood experiences shape the way we view ourselves and the world around us. Self esteem is the foundation of self confidence, which we develop in our early years through a variety of sources, such as parental and caregiver support, teachers, or other influences. Self esteem is based on our perceived self-worth, which can be significantly impacted by negative childhood experiences or lack of emotional support. Low self esteem can manifest itself in a variety of ways including low confidence, poor body image, and destructive relationships.
Having a healthy level of self-esteem is essential to living with purpose and feeling good about who you are. Low Self-Esteem can cause us to form toxic relationships that are not conducive to personal growth - when Self-Esteem is high we better able to recognize what’s right for us and trust our own judgement. Self esteem also helps us build strong relationships with those around us as well as ourselves. High Self Esteem helps us believe in ourselves more and achieve greater success in both our professional lives and personal relationships. Self Esteem also plays an important role in how we interact with others; someone with low Self Esteem may be easily swayed by others opinions or feel the need for approval from outside sources whereas those with higher Self Esteem are less likely to be influenced by negativity and instead focus their energy towards building positive connections with their peers.
When it comes to feeling aligned, confident and taking consistent action, Self Esteem plays a pivotal role in ensuring that one remains motivated and focused on long term goals even when faced with short term setbacks. It gives us the courage to take risks and make mistakes without feeling ashamed about them because deep down we know that our true worth lies within ourselves rather than being dependent on external factors like material possessions or accomplishments. Developing strong Self Esteem requires time and effort but it’s worth investing into; once achieved it opens doors to meaningful connections with those around you, increased confidence levels both internally & externally and better performance on daily tasks due to improved motivation levels.
Let me repeat that: Our motivation levels are significantly impacted by our level of self confidence.
That makes it extremely difficult to create meaningful change or adopt new healthy habits, when our self esteem / confidence is low. In the next module we are going to explore some journal prompts to take inventory of our self confidence at present.